Heart of the Hill Country: Buggy Barn Museum
Fifth-generation Blanco resident collects buggies, rents out re-created Old West town
The Texas Hill Country is a special place — it has the power to bring together people of all ages and all walks of life, and it holds a few surprises, too. Each month, we’ll be highlighting folks and features that make our community special. We call them Hearts of the Hill Country.
The Buggy Barn Museum, nestled off of U.S. Highway 281 in Blanco, might not look like much from the outside. A few rusty, broken buggies decorate the property, but PEC member and museum owner Dennis Moore said there’s more to this place than meets the eye.
“The quality of my collection can be deceiving from the outside, but when people walk into the museum, [they] are just fascinated and blown away almost every time,” Moore said.
More than 150 horse-drawn buggies, wagons and sleighs from the 1860s-1900s are on display in the museum, and no two are alike. Since his childhood, Moore has had a love for horses and the Old West era, which fueled his passion for his collection.
One of his favorite purchases is from the classic 1939 movie, “Gone with the Wind,” but Hollywood has also come knocking on Moore’s front door. Several buggies from his collection have been featured in TV shows and movies such as “There Will Be Blood,” “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,” the remake of “True Grit” and “Underground.”
“I’ve really enjoyed working and handling buggies in the entertainment industry,” Moore said. “Since working [in the movies], it has been a goal of mine to have more movies and TV shows come to us and film in the Old West town I’ve created out back.”
Behind the museum, visitors can enter or rent out Pine-Moore Town, an Old West-themed main street with a functioning saloon, general mercantile, barber shop, dentist office and more. The town and museum coexist to serve an even greater purpose, Moore revealed, which is to educate and share the importance of this little slice of history.
“My family came here in 1852, and they used wagons and carriages similar to the buggies I collect today,” he said. “One of the most important parts about the Buggy Barn Museum is the history it represents, and we’re trying to preserve that for future generations.”
Learn more about the Buggy Barn Museum and Pine-Moore town.